Knight Errant
by JA Baker
Summary: There are few problems in the multiverse that can not be solved by the appropriate application of Bolo's...
1. Knight Errant

_In order to maintain an element of surprise, a full disclaimer can be found at the end of the story._

**Knight Errant**

The path of destruction could be traced all the way from Rivendell, through the Gap of Rohan, passing by the still smouldering remains of Isengard, then down through the lands of Rohan and into Gondor itself. It travelled as fast as a galloping horse, never once pausing, even when faced with armies of Orcs, Uruk-hai or the races of man who had flocked to the Dark Lords resurgent banner. None who stood before it lived to tell the tail, nor did any who got close enough to see it with malice in their hearts. Even the unblinking eye of Barad-dûr was unable to see the true nature of the being that approached them, but it's course was clear when it crossed the great river at Osgiliath, shattering the army of Orcs that had been laying siege to the Gondorian garrison on the west bank.

Enraged beyond words, Sauron dispatched the great army he had intended to use to capture Minas Tirith, under the command of the Witch-King of Angmar, against the Fellowship.

The battle that followed was short and brutal, turning Dagorlad into a killing field the likes of which Middle Earth had not seen for an age: the broken remains of the armies of Mordor lay burning in their ranks, many having never even seen the enemy. Those that had were reduced to ash, scatted to the four winds. It was only now, close to his stronghold, that Sauron could finally see his enemy. It stood almost as high as the walls of Minas Tirith, with three dome like structures on its long and broad back. It's skin was the colour of tempered steel, but strong enough to turn back the sharpest blade. Strange and unknown weapons studded its hide, spitting forth death and destruction as it continued its unending march towards the Black Gate.

Two of the domes rotated to bring the long tubes that they housed into line with the Towers of Teeth, and twin bolts of lightning shattered the ancient fortress, a rain stone and burning wood showering down over the last few defenders. The dauntless juggernaut continued on, the iron and wood of the gate itself offering only a moments resistance before it was ploughed underfoot as the metallic creature moved on, headed directly for Mount Doom. Every last resource of the Dark Lord was flung against the strange foe, but it was protected from physical harm by a strong enchantment, and not even the darkest magic seemed able to turn it from its chosen course.

Finally, it was the steep and rugged slopes of Mount Doom itself that stopped the beast, and it was forced to remain in place as the other members of the Fellowship continued on foot. But still the creature protected them, unleashing its full might against all and any who tried to interfere with the Ring-bearer's mission. Then, when the Ring of power had been cast into the fires that had brought it forth, the leviathan carried the Fellowship back across the lands of Mordor, through the broken Black Gate and back to Minas Tirith.

As it passed by the ruins of Barad-dûr, the sound of a great horn could be heard emanating from the leviathan, and a deep Baritone voice called out "_For the honour of the Dinochrome Brigade!_"

**The End**

_Bolo's were created by Keith Laumer.  
The Lord of the Rings and all associated characters were created by J. R. R. Tolkien.  
_ _I own nothing but a warped sence of humour and imagination._


	2. The Great And All Powerful Oz

**Knight Errant 3  
****The Great And All Powerful Oz**

The very ground beneath Ba'al feet shook as if in the grasp of a world shattering earthquake. Trees toppled, trapping the Jaffa who were running up the valley towards the grounded _Ha'Tak_. The battle had lasted two days already, probably due to the vast distances involved. This nameless, uninhabited world had once been the home of an Ancient research outpost, and the few records that remained talked about experiments aimed at interdimensional travel, possibly in a bid to hasten their ascension. Anubis had spent centuries looking for the outpost, but long had it eluded him; it wasn't until after his apparent death that one of his search teams had uncovered a map giving the location of the planet it resided upon.

There was no Stargate to allow easy access, so it had been necessary to send a ship on head. And it was there that his security had been breached; the accused Tau'ri had somehow learned of his mission, no doubt through either Tok'ra or Free Jaffa allies, and had sent SG-1 to try and reach the outpost first. It hadn't been hard to shoot down their _Tel'tak_; it had been an older model with an outdated cloaking device that the advanced Asgard-based sensor he had inherited from Anubis had little trouble piercing. The ship had crashed on the other side of the planet, and Ba'al had been confident that if SG-1 had survived, then they no longer posed an immediate threat to his plans. With the Ori a growing threat, burning a path through all that stood before him, it was reasonable to hypothesise that it would take weapons forged by the Ancients to stop them. Ba'al was smarter than most Goa'uld, and realised that if he wanted to rule the galaxy, then the Ori would have to be taken out of the equation. Thus he devoted most of his resources into finding anything the Ancients had left behind that could be used as a weapon. He had even been willing to ally himself with the Tau'ri, at least temporarily, if it meant stopping the Ori crusade.

But SG-1 had the devils own luck, and a relay station that Ba'al's forces had found seemed to indicate that their _Tel'tak_ had crashed almost on top of the Ancient outpost. He knew from bitter experience that it would not take them long to find it and uncover anything useful the Ancients had left behind, so he had reloaded his troops and moved his ship as close as he could. He had contemplated raising the entire base to the ground from orbit, but be needed the technology inside. Thus he had dispatched his last remaining squad of Kull Warriors with orders to capture SG-1 if possible, but to in no way allow them access to the Ancient outpost. He had gambled, and lost; the accursed Tau'ri had already gained access to the compound and had made straight for the vast underground laboratory. He was unsure what they had unearthed, but it had slaughter the formidable Kull with ease, before bringing down the entire base in a cloud of dust and debris that hid its true nature from sensors.

Growing desperate, Ba'al had thrown all of his ground forces at the unknown weapon, hoping to overwhelming by sheer weight of numbers. An entire legion, his last heavy combat formation, had marched off down the valley, only to be brushed aside like a child's toys. He had ordered the deployment of a scout-drone, but it had been blasted out of the sky. The unseen adversary launched their own drone, and Ba'al had quickly shot it down. The counter-battery fire that followed had caught him by surprise; high explosive, armour-piercing munitions rained down upon his ship in a seemingly unending torrent, damaging the outer hull before he was able to raise the _Ha'Tak's_ shields. That had kept out the first attack, but a few seconds later more powerful guided missiles had struck down, bathing his ship in nuclear fire that threatened to overwhelm his defences. It also blinded him; shrouding the advancing enemy from view.

When the fire had finally died, having turned the upper reaches of the valley into a blackened, broken hell of high radiation and raging fire-storms. Something seemed to move in the distance, and Ba'al brought up the magnification on the view screen to get a better look. The interference laden image finally cleared to show what at fist appeared to be a low hill covered in metal, but it soon became painfully clear that it was in fact a monstrous weapon of war, moving forward on a series of linked tracks, each taller than a _Tel'tak_. Its hull plating was a dark, metallic grey what what was obviously some kind of unit insignia painted high on its prow, bellow a massive ball turret. To Ba'al the image looked like a photo-negative the machines silhouette; white on black, with a large golden '1' to one side.

Unhindered by any further defences, it made its way up the valley, its massive weight pulverising house-size boulders. The Ha'Tak opened fire with all of its remaining weapons, bolts of pure energy capable of levelling a city filled the air. But the land leviathan was protected by a powerful energy field that not only deflected the incoming weapons fire, but syphoned some of it off it to use in its own return fire. Bolts of raw energy with the strength of a medium-sized nuclear warhead. The rate of fire from just the smaller forward turret was staggering, and the ships shields began to fail under the onslaught. They finally collapsed, allowing a hailstorm of plasma to rip through the outer hull and deep into the ships. Bulkheads and crew were vaporised with equal ease as the main reactor went into automatic shut down to avoid an overload, and finally the firing stopped, the last few thunderous echoes fading into the distance

"_Greetings_, _I am D-20398-AJW, a Mark XXXIV Bolo Unit._" A deep baritone voice resounded from the armoured monstrosity and echoed off of the steep sides of the valley, loud and clear enough to reach Ba'al as he sat dazed in the smoking remains of his throne room, "_My new Commander, General O'Neill, had decided that you may call me simply Ash, and has instructed me to introduce you to what he calls my 'boom stick'._" The massive central turret rotated until it was in line with the Ha'Tak, the ships position higher up on the mountain side allowing it to secure a solid targeting lock. Its gaping maw sending an involuntary shiver down Ba'al's spine as it started to glow ominusly, "_He also said something about_ 'Yippee ki-yay_' and a second phrase that my verbal inhibiter's will not allow me to repeat, and I am afraid I did not understand his exact meaning, but his intentions are clear._"

There was a bright, searing light, then only darkness...

**The End  
**_(Bolo/Stargate SG-1)_

Bolo _-noun _(_Bow-Low_)

1: A sentient Main Battle Tank.  
2: The base unit by which _curpstomping_ is measured. The relative Mark of a Bolo indicated the severity of the stomp.

Also see: _Bolostomp_


	3. The King Under The Mountain

**Knight Errant 4  
****The King Under The Mountain**

_I awaken._

_Something.... something has happened. I can no longer sence my bothers or the main base core. I... I do not understand..._

_I reboot my systems, shifting from one logic core to another until I find one that is functional. My systems are badly damaged, no doubt a result of battle damage. I take .43 seconds to run a full diagnostic of my systems, but find no damage to my offensive and defensive systems. Both of my primary reactors are off-line, along with all three of my secondary generators. A quick test proves that although my solar cells seem to be intact, they are not producing any power. In fact, the only remaining source of power is the hard-link to the depot, so I can assume that its geothermal generator is still functional._

_Another 2.6 seconds pass as I scan all Brigade and Imperial frequencies, but the heavy shielding of the repair bay block any outside sources. I engage my external sensors, and find that the structure that houses me is still physically intact, so I must assume that the rest of the battalion was able to drive off the attack without me. This fact fills me with both pride and shame; pride that they were able to defeat such an overwhelming force, and shame that I had allowed myself to be disabled before battle was fully joined. While my sensors show that the damage to my motive systems has been repaired, the fact remains that my commander has to returned._

_Scanning the repair bay, I spot a hard-line link, and send out a remote drone with a waldo to connect it to my own systems. Finding no activity at the other end, I test the link, and finally manage to get a test signal response from the base's main computer and I download the entire contents from the time I was taken off-line for repairs, an act that takes a surprisingly long length of time. I analyse the data, and my systems go off line again for a full second to prevent catastrophic damage to my personality matrix._

_If the data is to be believed, then the battle between the garrison forces and the attacking Deng Super-Yavac's ended not in victory or defeat, but the apparent destruction of both sides when a stray missile armed with a high-yield anti-mater warhead struck a nearby dormant volcano. The resulting eruption seems to have completely coved the base, including the repair bay in which I now reside. I have to assume that Brigade High Command assumed that the base was a total loss, and abandoned it. A faint stab of anger flashes through me, but I remind myself that the war with the resurgent Deng Empire was not going well, and that there were already plans to evacuate this sector._

_I check the database, and it confirms that there was a hyperspace sled docked at the supply cache on the inner moon. Armed with this knowledge, I come to the conclusion that I should attempt to exit the repair bay and reach open ground. Then, assuming that the sled is still in place, I can call it down and use it to rejoin the rest of the Brigade elsewhere on the front. I am Unit ATU-4685 of The Line, a Mark LXX _Indefatigable_-class Bolo. My first commander, Major Jonas Grimm, named me Artorius in honour of the legendary King Arthur of old Terra. My sence of honour and duty demands that I find a way to rejoin battle, and avenge my fallen brothers and sisters._

_Activating a spotlight attached to one of my forward anti-personnel clusters, I use one of my optical sensors to examine the blast doors protecting the repair bay, and find that it has been fused shut, not doubt by the heat of the volcanic eruption. My Ion-Bolt infinite-repeaters fire, carefully cutting the doors away from the frames, until gravity finally takes over and they drop to the ground, unfortunately crushing my drone and several other pieces of equipment. More blasts from my infinite-repeaters carve up the doors into more manageable chunks, and I send the repair bays own drones to clear it out of the way. Now all that stands between me and the open is a layer of compressed volcanic ash of indeterminate thickens._

_Bringing my seismic sensors and ground-penetrating radar on-line, I probe the ash and find that it is much denser than I would have though possible, as well as being significantly colder. Still, my files on geology are somewhat lacking, so these are questions that will have to wait for a later time. I remodulate my external amplifiers to emit an continuous ultrasonic pules that starts to breakdown the wall of ash, allowing the drones to slowly clear my path. I am more than a little surprised when after less than a dozen meters, the ash gives way to ice, something that at least explains the highly compact and cold nature of the ash._

_Going back to my infinite-repeaters, I start to melt a passageway through the ice large enough for one of my sensor drones to make its way out to the surface. The telemetry it sends back is confusing at first, not helped by the insulating affects of the ice, ash and EM-hardened structure of the repair bay. But at last I discover just what has awoken me from my dormant state, and I find myself instantly operating in full Battle Reflex Mode. Passive scans seem to show what could be an unknown form of Deng Yavac, something that my seismic sensors seen to agree with. Refinement of the visual image shows that they are not Yavac's, or at least no kind that I have ever encountered or are in my war-book. They are, however, quadruped armoured walkers of some description, standing as tall as my main deck, but with what seems to be much lighter armour and weaponry. Indeed, I can detect none of the electromagnetic signatures of a battle screen or other active defensive system._

_A quick burst from the active sensors shows that they are advancing on what seems to be a hastily constructed defensive line dug into the snow, assisted by far smaller, bipedal walkers. High speed wing-in-ground effect craft are attacking them, but their weapons seem ineffective. Indeed, if my sensor reading are to be believed, then they are armed with some kind of laser system roughly akin to my infinite-repeaters. It takes me a fraction of a second to decode the appallingly simple encryption both sides are using, but almost a full minute to create a translation algorithm so I can understand what it actually being said._

_What I find is, disturbing, and almost engages my safety protocols again: both sides seem to be predominately human, but fighting alongside alien species. While this is not unheard of, it is normally only an alliance of convince when facing a greater threat. I also find no reference to the Concordiat or other allied governments, and no one seems to be using Brigade communications protocols or frequencies. It is possible, however unlikely, that two political bodies that have not been contacted by the Concordiat since the Last War; the terrible conflict with the Melconian's that almost wiped the galaxy clean of sentient life. It was that war that had set the Deng back onto the road to conquest: there were now far fewer habitable worlds, and an ever growing population at home had forced their hand._

_Thus, war had returned, and humanity and her allies had, as often before, turned to the Dinochrome Brigade's for defence. And, as ever, my fellow Bolo's and I headed the call to war._

_But now I find myself in an unusual situation, and I must tread softly: it would be unfortunate if I were to unwittingly attack a potential ally. I send out a second drone, this one a dedicated electronics warfare platform, and hack my way into both sides data nets, backtracking until I find their main computers. Their security programs are more complex then their communications encryption, and lasts a full 0.56 seconds._

_My safety protocols cut in again, locking me out of Battle Reflex Mode: there are no references to any historical events in my database. Nor can I find anything on Terra, the Dinochrome Brigade or the Last War. I find one reference to what could be the Deng, but they use a different name. Could these societies have lost so much of their shared history? I check their navigational data, and again my overrides threaten to shut me down: if what I find is to be believed, then well over thirty thousand years have passed since I was taken off-line for repair._

_I find it hard to comprehend such a fact, and run a star-chart comparison, plotting the locations of pulsars and other galaxies within the local group to confirm the data by plotting universal expansion. Test after test comes back positive, proving beyond all possible refute that over thirty millennia have passed. A terrible sence of self doubt and loneliness well up within me: all evidence seems to point to my being the last Bolo in existence. For the first time since I was first brought on-line, I am truly alone. Sensing a potentially dangerous upset in my personality matrix, my safety protocols revert to my base programming, something that has not changed since the Mark XXIV. This program deals with my basic personality and driving imperatives, including my wish to protect and defend humanity. It is true that we Bolo's are often said to have a Knight In Shining Armour complex, and it is from this core code that this personality trait originates._

_There is only one course of action available to me: I must determine which side to assist in the battle outside. I scan their full database, cataloguing similarities and divergences, sorting out what is obversely propaganda and lies. This process takes a further 2-minutes, during which the battle wages on outside above the ice. Finally my choice is clear: while one side seems to represent the legal government, this is only a technicality, as their actions have proven that they only serve the ambitions of a power hungry elite. The other side, while not without its flaws, seem idealogical closer to the Concordiat I was built to serve. Not close enough for me to follow any order their might give me blindly, but enough to serve my needs to protect and defend._

_Recalling my drones, I aim two of my secondary weapons at the ice wall, and fire. Twin 150-cm Hellebore bolts strike with the force of tactical nuclear weapons, clearing a path far wider than I need. My drive train engages, and I move for the first time in an age. Ice crumples under my tracks as I head out onto the glacial wasteland, all of my weapons systems armed and ready. I am instantly detected by both sides, and I feel targeting sensors wash over me, deflected and refracted by my battle screens. I ignore them as I reach out with my own sensors, locking onto the small fleet of massive warships in orbit. For all their size and power, they are far below Concordiat or Deng ships-of-the-line, and my two primary turrets track round and lock onto the far larger command ship. Power surges through long dormant systems as both of my Hellrail's come to bare._

_I fire, spitting forth the fury of suns at the orbiting starship, and the shock wave washes over the battlefield. More than a few of the bipedal walkers are toppled, while the nimble flyers struggle to remain stable and in the air. It takes 2.36 seconds for my first attack to strike home, and the colossal warship is shaken by the impact. Its defensive screens fail under the onslaught, and some of the energy leaks through to case secondary damage. My Hellrail's fire again almost instantaneously, and raw destructive power rips through the starship. Secondary explosions follow as its reactor looses containment, and the entire ship disappears in a flash of light that momentarily outshines the systems sun._

_While my main armament tracks the next target, my secondary armament begins to fire, and 150-cm Hellebores strike the quadruped walkers. Some are almost completely vaporised by what is basically a focused high-yield nuclear explosion. Others are simply ripped apart and fall to the ground, while my infinite-repeaters track their smaller brethren._

_Surprise is total, and I calculate a 98.6% chance or total annihilation of hostile forces within the __next 7-minutes. I send out a broad-spectrum message in the common language of both the Empire and the self-styled Rebel Alliance._

"_For the Honour of the Regiment!"_

**The End  
**_(Bolo/Star Wars)_


	4. A Will Like Iron

**Knight Errant 5  
****A Will Like Iron**

Three is a legend, known to only a select few, of a warrior who's willpower and courage surpass that of the Gods themselves.

Once, or so the story goes, there was a world, far separated from most of those who bare life, that found itself under attack by a nameless enemy from beyond the known stars. They fell upon the peaceful people without warning or mercy, crushing all resistance. Even the sectors Green Lantern could not turn the tide, and the world was too isolated to expect reinforcements in time. Driving back to the point of extermination, the people of that would turned to their scientists, their sorcerers and their priests, for any slither of hope. Working with the dying Lantern, they used the Ring of Power to search all of time and space for a warrior who could save them from the darkness.

And, in the far depths of one possible future, they found their salvation. A being not in flesh and blood, but in metal and flame, but more powerful than any who had walked upon that distant world. Bonding with the Ring of Power, it became something more, greater than any would have believed. With a will like iron and a code of honour as unbreakable as the heavens, it purged the world with the very breath of stars. None who stood against it lived to tell of it, as The Warrior crushed entire armies beneath it. Without fear or hesitation it flung itself at at the very heart of the beast and battled it to a standstill, never once backing down or thinking of its own survival.

When the other Lanterns arrived, they found a world devastated but free, a people saved from extinction. And on the field of battle, surrounded by countless slain foe, stood The Warrior. Its once gleaming metal skin was cracked and broken, its weapons melted to glowing slag buy the fury of battle. But still it stood, defiant and unyielding, ready to return to the fray at a moments notice. Thought veterans of many battles, the Lanterns were still moved by its courage and suborn nobility. As one, and without consulting the Guardians of the Universe, they recharged its Ring of Power, allowing it to repair the damage it had taken.

To this day it stands in silent vigil on that distant world, its tireless eyes forever watching the darkness for any more threats to its adopted home. And the Green Lanterns know that, if ever the day comes when they needs its strength, Unit HRC-4853 Of The Line stands ready to assist them.

Although, he prefers it if you call him "_Heracles_"...

**The End  
**_(Bolo/Green Lantern)_


End file.
